Water-sensitive fluorophores for moisture content evaluation in hygroscopic polymers
A process of utilizing a water-sensitive fluorophore for moisture content evaluation in a hygroscopic polymer includes forming a blend that includes a hygroscopic polymer resin and a water-sensitive fluorophore. The process includes forming pellets having a particular geometry from the blend, determining fluorescence properties of at least one of the pellets, and determining moisture content of at least one of the pellets. The process also includes generating a calibration curve for the particular pellet geometry by correlating the fluorescence properties with the moisture content. The process further includes providing the calibration curve for non-destructive moisture content evaluation of a material derived from the pellets.
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Hygroscopic polymers, such as nylon polymers, have a high affinity for water due to polar bonds in such polymers (e.g., polar amide bonds in the case of nylon polymers). Typically, such polymers may hold approximately 1.5 to 2 percent of their weight in water. However, this weight percentage may be substantially higher if the polymer is stored at high humidity or is immersed in water. Controlling the water content in hygroscopic polymers, such as nylon polymers, is important not only during manufacturing (e.g., via injection molding) but also in the final article of manufacture. Other examples of hygroscopic polymers include acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) polymers, acrylics, polyurethanes, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), among others.
Prior to injection molding, resin pellets are dried in order to mitigate problems associated with the presence of water, such as chain degradation, decreased molecular weight, and ultimately degraded mechanical properties in the final article of manufacture. Therefore, understanding the moisture content of the resin pellets is important. While drying the resin pellets is important prior to injection molding, the presence of at least some moisture in the final article of manufacture may be desirable in some cases (e.g., for toughness and/or flexibility). In hygroscopic polymers, water acts as a plasticizer, spacing out the polymer chains, reducing the glass transition temperature, and making the article of manufacture more flexible. Accordingly, after manufacture, a nylon article may be moisture conditioned or allowed to reach its equilibrium moisture content before being used in applications where high loads are generated. Otherwise, brittle fracture of the nylon article may result. Furthermore, depending on the environment, a nylon article may dry out over time, potentially resulting in future failure of the nylon article after field deployment. As such, monitoring of moisture content in the final article after field deployment may also be required in order to prevent the possibility of failure as a result of the article drying out (e.g., in a high temperature and/or low humidity environment).
SUMMARYAccording to an embodiment, a process of utilizing a water-sensitive fluorophore for moisture content evaluation in a hygroscopic polymer is disclosed. The process includes forming a blend that includes a hygroscopic polymer resin and a water-sensitive fluorophore. The process includes forming pellets having a particular geometry from the blend, determining fluorescence properties of at least one of the pellets, and determining moisture content of at least one of the pellets. The process also includes generating a calibration curve for the particular pellet geometry by correlating the fluorescence properties with the moisture content. The process further includes providing the calibration curve for non-destructive moisture content evaluation of a material derived from the pellets.
According to another embodiment, a process of utilizing a water-sensitive fluorophore for moisture content evaluation in a hygroscopic polymer is disclosed. The process includes receiving pellets from a pellet manufacturing entity. The pellets are formed from a blend that includes a hygroscopic polymer resin and a water-sensitive fluorophore. The process also includes receiving a calibration curve from the pellet manufacturing entity that correlates fluorescence properties of the pellets with moisture content of the pellets. The process further includes measuring fluorescence properties of the dried pellets and utilizing the calibration curve to determine a moisture content level of the dried pellets based on the measured fluorescence properties of the dried pellets. The process also includes determining whether to form the article of manufacture from the dried pellets based on whether the moisture content level of the dried pellets corresponds to a satisfactory moisture level.
According to another embodiment, a process of utilizing a water-sensitive fluorophore for moisture content evaluation in a hygroscopic polymer is disclosed. The process includes measuring fluorescence properties of an article of manufacture that is deployed to a deployment environment. The article of manufacture is manufactured from pellets that are formed from a blend that includes a hygroscopic polymer resin and a water-sensitive fluorophore. The process also includes receiving a part-specific calibration curve that correlates fluorescence properties of the article of manufacture with moisture content of the article of manufacture. The process further includes utilizing the part-specific calibration curve to determine a moisture content level of the article of manufacture based on the measured fluorescence properties of the article of manufacture. The process also includes determining whether to perform a corrective action based on whether the moisture content level of the article of manufacture corresponds to a satisfactory moisture level.
The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular descriptions of exemplary embodiments of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numbers generally represent like parts of exemplary embodiments of the invention.
The present disclosure describes water-sensitive fluorophores for moisture content evaluation in hygroscopic polymers. A water sensitive fluorophore may be mixed with a hygroscopic polymer resin to form a blend, and the blend may be used to form pellets. The pellets may be analyzed to determine fluorescence properties and moisture content for the particular pellet geometry, which may be used to generate a calibration curve for subsequent non-destructive moisture content evaluation. In some cases, a part manufacturing entity may utilize the calibration curve to non-destructively determine moisture content. For example, the part manufacturing entity may verify that the pellets (that include the water sensitive fluorophore and the hygroscopic polymer) have been sufficiently dried prior to forming an article of manufacture from the pellets (e.g., via injection molding). In some cases, the part manufacturing entity may analyze the article of manufacture to determine fluorescence properties for the particular part geometry, which may be used to generate a part-specific calibration curve. In some cases, a part monitoring entity may utilize the part-specific calibration curve to non-destructively determine moisture content of the article of manufacture after deployment of the article to a deployment environment having a particular set of environmental conditions (e.g., high temperature and/or low humidity). In the event that the moisture content of the deployed article is unsatisfactory and may potentially lead to fracture/failure of the field-deployed article, the part monitoring entity may perform a corrective action (e.g., removing/replacing the deployed article). Thus, the present disclosure describes various examples of the utilization of water-sensitive fluorophores with hygroscopic polymers for non-destructive moisture content evaluation.
Referring to
In the particular embodiment depicted in
In the example of
In the example of
The bottom of
The part manufacturing entity 104 may utilize one or more analysis components 170 (that may be the same or similar to the analysis component(s) 130 utilized by the pellet manufacturing entity 102) to determine fluorescence properties 172 of the dried pellets 162. A computing device 174 may utilize the calibration curve 152 generated by the pellet manufacturing entity 102 to determine a moisture content 176 of the dried pellets 162 based on the fluorescence properties 172 of the dried pellets 162. The part manufacturing entity 104 may determine whether the moisture content 176 for the dried pellets 162 is satisfactory prior to utilizing the one or more molding components 164 to form the article of manufacture 106. In this case, a satisfactory moisture content may correspond to a sufficiently low level of moisture in the dried pellets 162 in order to prevent hydrolysis and subsequent embrittlement of the article of manufacture 106 following injection molding.
When the moisture content 176 of the dried pellets 172 is satisfactory for molding operations (e.g., injection molding operations), the part manufacturing entity 104 may utilize the molding component(s) 164 to form the article of manufacture 106. When the moisture content 176 of the dried pellets 162 is unsatisfactory, the part manufacturing entity 104 may perform additional drying operation(s) using the moisture removal component(s) 160. The analysis component(s) 170 may be utilized to determine subsequent fluorescence properties after the additional drying operation(s), and the operations may be repeated until the measured fluorescence properties are indicative of a satisfactory moisture content.
Thus,
Referring to
In
The measured fluorescence properties 220 may be utilized to determine, in a non-destructive manner, a moisture content 222 of the article of manufacture 106 in the deployment environment 202. In the particular embodiment depicted in
In some cases, the field technician 204 may evaluate the moisture content 222 to determine whether the moisture content 222 represents a satisfactory moisture level for the article of manufacture 106 in the deployment environment 202. In other cases, the moisture content 222 may be automatically compared to a satisfactory moisture content level stored at the computing device 210 in order to alert the field technician 204 that a corrective action may be appropriate. As an example of a corrective action, the field technician 204 may remove the article of manufacture 106 from service and/or replace the article of manufacture 106 with another article that is known to have a satisfactory moisture level.
In some cases, when the moisture content 222 is considered to be satisfactory for the article of manufacture 106 in the deployment environment 202, the field technician 204 may take no action or may schedule a subsequent time for moisture content monitoring (e.g., in cases where periodic monitoring may be advantageous), among other possibilities. In other cases, the field technician 204 may identify the article of manufacture 106 as being able to maintain a satisfactory moisture level in the particular environmental conditions associated with the deployment environment 202.
Thus,
Referring to
The process 300 includes forming a blend that includes a hygroscopic polymer resin and a water-sensitive fluorophore, at 302. For example, referring to
The process 300 includes forming pellets having a particular geometry from the blend, at 304. For example, referring to
The process 300 further includes determining fluorescence properties of the pellets, at 306. For example, referring to
The process 300 further includes measuring moisture content of a pellet, at 308. For example, referring to
While
Referring to the second set of operations depicted below the dashed line in
The process 300 includes drying the pellets, at 320. For example, referring to
The process 300 includes measuring the fluorescence properties of the dried pellets, at 322. For example, referring to
The process 300 includes utilizing the calibration curve (generated in operation 310) to determine moisture level of the dried pellets based on the measured fluorescence properties, at 324. For example, referring to
The process 300 further includes determining whether the moisture level of the dried pellets is satisfactory, at 326. For example, referring to
When the moisture level is determined to be satisfactory, at 326,
Thus,
Referring to
In the particular embodiment depicted in
Referring to the portion of
The process 400 includes determining fluorescence properties of the article, at 404. For example, referring to
The process 400 further includes measuring moisture content of the article, at 406. For example, referring to
While
Referring to the second set of operations depicted above the dashed line in
The process 400 includes deploying the article of manufacture, at 410. For example, referring to
The process 400 includes measuring the fluorescence properties of the article, at 412. For example, referring to
The process 400 includes utilizing the part-specific calibration curve to monitor the moisture content of the article based on the fluorescence properties, at 414. For example, in the particular embodiment depicted in
In the particular embodiment depicted in
The process 400 further includes determining whether the moisture level of the deployed article is satisfactory, at 416. In the event that the moisture level is unsatisfactory,
In the event that the moisture level is determined to be satisfactory, at 416,
Thus,
It will be understood from the foregoing description that modifications and changes may be made in various embodiments of the present invention without departing from its true spirit. The descriptions in this specification are for purposes of illustration only and are not to be construed in a limiting sense. The scope of the present invention is limited only by the language of the following claims.
Claims
1. A process of utilizing a water-sensitive fluorophore for moisture content evaluation in a hygroscopic polymer, the process comprising:
- forming a blend that includes a hygroscopic polymer resin and a water-sensitive fluorophore;
- forming pellets having a particular geometry from the blend;
- determining fluorescence properties of at least one of the pellets;
- determining, in parallel with determining the fluorescence properties, moisture content of at least one of the pellets;
- generating a calibration curve for the particular pellet geometry by correlating the fluorescence properties with the moisture content; and
- storing the calibration curve in a pellet database for subsequent use for non-destructive verification of sufficient drying of the pellets and accessible via a network by a part manufacturing entity.
2. The process of claim 1, wherein the water-sensitive fluorophore is compounded into the hygroscopic polymer using an extruder to form the pellets.
3. The process of claim 1, wherein the hygroscopic polymer resin includes a nylon resin.
4. The process of claim 1, wherein the moisture content of at least one of the pellets is determined by Karl Fischer titration.
5. A process of utilizing a water-sensitive fluorophore for moisture content evaluation in a hygroscopic polymer, the process comprising:
- receiving, from a pellet manufacturing entity, pellets that are formed from a blend that includes a hygroscopic polymer resin and a water-sensitive fluorophore;
- receiving, from a pellet database, a calibration curve that correlates fluorescence properties of the pellets with moisture content of the pellets, wherein the fluorescence properties and the moisture content are determined in parallel;
- forming dried pellets by removing moisture from the pellets prior to forming an article of manufacture from the dried pellets;
- measuring fluorescence properties of the dried pellets;
- utilizing the calibration curve to determine a moisture content level of the dried pellets based on the measured fluorescence properties of the dried pellets;
- determining whether to form the article of manufacture from the dried pellets based on whether the moisture content level of the dried pellets corresponds to a satisfactory moisture level;
- performing an additional drying operation to remove additional moisture from the dried pellets when the moisture content level of the dried pellets corresponds to an unsatisfactory moisture level; and
- repeating the drying operation until moisture content level of the dried pellets corresponds to a satisfactory moisture level.
6. The process of claim 5, further comprising:
- forming the article of manufacture from the dried pellets when the moisture content level of the dried pellets corresponds to the satisfactory level, the article of manufacture having a particular part geometry.
7. The process of claim 6, further comprising:
- Performing one or more moisture conditioning operations on the article of manufacture, allowing the article of manufacture to reach an equilibrium moisture content.
8. The process of claim 6, further comprising:
- identifying a target area for measurement of the fluorescence properties on the article of manufacture.
9. The process of claim 6, further comprising:
- determining fluorescence properties of the article of manufacture;
- determining moisture content of the article of manufacture; and
- generating a part-specific calibration curve for the particular part geometry by correlating the fluorescence properties of the article of manufacture with the moisture content of the article of manufacture.
10. The process of claim 9, further comprising:
- performing a destructive moisture content test on the article of manufacture using a Karl Fischer titration component.
11. The process of claim 9, further comprising:
- providing the part-specific calibration curve to a part database for subsequent non-destructive moisture content verification.
12. A process of utilizing a water-sensitive fluorophore for moisture content evaluation in a hygroscopic polymer, the process comprising:
- measuring fluorescence properties of an article of manufacture that is deployed to a deployment environment by, wherein the article of manufacture is manufactured from pellets that are formed from a blend that includes a hygroscopic polymer resin and a water-sensitive fluorophore, wherein a target area on the article of manufacture is used measuring the fluorescence properties;
- receiving a part-specific calibration curve that correlates fluorescence properties of the article of manufacture with moisture content of the article of manufacture from a part database;
- utilizing the part-specific calibration curve to determine a moisture content level of the article of manufacture based on the measured fluorescence properties of the article of manufacture;
- determining whether to perform a corrective action based on whether the moisture content level corresponds to a satisfactory moisture level; and
- replacing the article of manufacture based on the determination of the moisture content level corresponding to an unsatisfactory moisture level.
13. The process of claim 12, wherein the fluorescence properties are measured by stimulating the article of manufacture with a laser light tuned according a particular fluorescence profile of the water-sensitive fluorophore.
14. The process of claim 12, wherein a computing device is utilized to communicate with the part database via a wireless access point.
15. The process of claim 12, wherein the moisture content level is automatically compared to a satisfactory moisture content level stored at a computing device.
16. The process of claim 12, further comprising:
- scheduling a subsequent time for measuring the article of manufacture.
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Type: Grant
Filed: Apr 18, 2019
Date of Patent: Oct 18, 2022
Patent Publication Number: 20190242821
Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation (Armonk, NY)
Inventors: Eric J. Campbell (Rochester, MN), Sarah K. Czaplewski-Campbell (Rochester, MN), Joseph Kuczynski (North Port, FL), Timothy J. Tofil (Rochester, MN)
Primary Examiner: Arlen Soderquist
Application Number: 16/388,173
International Classification: G01N 21/64 (20060101); G01N 21/81 (20060101); G01N 33/18 (20060101); G01N 33/44 (20060101); G01N 21/77 (20060101); G01N 21/27 (20060101);